Australian city spends $170,000 on... this

[TrulyBritish]

Am I the only one thinking that (Ugh... really not sure what to call it) Skywhale looks like it could be a wise yoda-esque mentor in a cartoon? You know, maybe when made a bit smaller.
I can imagine it making so many comments about the winds of the nights sky and the secrets of the depths of sea...

 

[irequirefood]

Yeah I'm from Canberra. A friend told me about this last night and I thought they were taking the piss. NOPE.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Well after a quick google search for the creator Patricia Piccinini I found some of her other works.

Spoiler: Warning sheer WTF inside

Spoiler

The second piece isn't that bad but I stumbled across the first a year back and thought it was from some weird fetish site.

Also: I for one welcome our Giant Titty Whale Overlord.

I also hope it never ever goes across the Tasman.


Captcha: fools gold

This woman has issues. Deep-seated psychological issues.

You guys may think of this as a waste of money, but just take a look at the kind of crap our politicians get up to over here in America. I think you'll find that this is preferable.

Thankfully I live in New Zealand so I didn't pay for the tittywhale. but some kiwi expats probably did, serves them right. I wonder what they think of it?

 

[tahrey]

OH THE HUGE MANATEE!

That's no whale, that's surely some kind of sea-cow/hippopotamus/milk-sow hybrid...

 

[FoolKiller]

That's alright, that's really not a lot of money when you compare it to the city of Ballard Washington which is about to spend 3 Million dollars on a park that's 29 feet wide and the length of a city block.

Are the blades of grass going to be coated in gold?

 

[someonehairy-ish]

I like how the justification she (ie the artist) has for putting giant tits on it is because whales are mammals and breastfeed their young. ERMM. Camels are mammals. So are mooses and badgers and fucking bats. You'll notice that none of them have giant tits. Not only that, but this thing is meant to fucking fly. You'll notice that giant boobs are not aerodynamic, and there's a reason why women with large breasts get back problems - they actually weigh quite a lot. So from an evolutionary perspective this makes no fucking sense.

If her idea was to make something that looked like it had evolved from the same ancestor as a whale but to live in the sky instead, she could have at least got it right.

 

[Xisin]

Don't the fins (wings?) kind of look like a bundle of giant, hanging boobies?

Well. Worse things have been bought. I just cannot name any other ones.

Thank you! I thought the same, or perhaps really bad pustules? But hey $170,000 for that. I'm in the wrong business.

 

[martyrdrebel27]

Not pictured: the flower pot falling nearby thinking "not again..."

 

[Froggy Slayer]

Iä! Shub-Niggurath! The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young!

This is terrifying.

 

[Weaver]

You know what? I kind of like it! I wish our government would spend money on tit whales instead of continuously ruining things.

 

[Bernzz]

DEPLOY THE SKYBOOB

Personally, I think this is fucking retarded, but whatever, each to their own. Waste of money though, in my opinion.

 

[Zhukov]

Actually, I kinda like it.

Although, no, if I had $170,000 I would not buy one.

Didn't notice the breast-wing thing until I read comments. Now I can't un-see it.

 

[kypsilon]

And here I thought Australia was the very seat of conservatism. Now whenever somebody complains about sex in video games being imported into Australia you can retort with, "Dude, we have a giant floating tit whale."

 

[BlazeRaider]

I don't see what the big deal is, plenty of countries need to build more supply depots or construct additional pylons; is it really that strange for Australia to need to spawn more overlords?

 

[Rob Robson]

170000$ well spent.

I approve!

Agreed, wish more governments and councils would completely flip their shit out.

 

[Saxnot]

Should have called it "A statement on the condition of modern art and government spending".

I cannot believe my own country would pay for this. In a place where no real people live.

It has breasts for fuck's sakes.

Lots of things have breasts. I wish more things, including myself, had breasts. Also it makes more sense than most modern art I've seen recently, plus it acutely looks interesting and cool. So I don't quite see the issue, besides people just not liking the look.

It is a whale. A whale that is supposed to have 'evolved' to be able to fly. It cannot do that, and is furthermore burdened by, and has no relevance to, the dozen breasts arrayed along its sides. Whales have no connection to Canberra. It makes no sense, which is not excused by other art making no sense either. Its interestingness and coolness are very much subjective, to the point where I think it looks the former but most certainly not the latter. The issue is it is ridiculous and has nothing to do with the event it is supposed to be part of.

So I suppose it all comes down to whether or not you think whales are relevant to Canberra and whether breasts of that kind are relevant to whales.

I think giant floating breast-whales are relevant to all of us.

 

[Wolfeyes555]

Allow me to transcribe the exact moment I clicked on this thread.

"I wonder what this is about? Eh.. probably some dull art project that wasn't worth the money in the leas-WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?"

Well, it's not dull, I'll give it that.

 

[the.gill123]

The Uk can be as bad,

Spoiler: this cost £90,000

It's suposed to be like the big 45ft HOLLYWOOD sign, but it's 5ft high, and looks terrible.

The next town over did one too,

Spoiler: it was £20

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Not pictured: the flower pot falling nearby thinking "not again..."

This. This is my favourite comment in this highly enjoyable thread.

On topic, $170,000 for such a thing when I'll bet there are still people on the poverty line in Canberra is absolutely shameful. Whoever greenlit the project should be fed to a drop bear.

 

[deadpoolhulk]

to quote the nostalgia critic. "ASK ME WHAT IT MEANS! ASK ME WHAT IT MEANS!"